Turbine systems are widely utilized in fields such as power generation. For example, a conventional gas turbine system includes a compressor section, a combustor section, and at least one turbine section. The compressor section is configured to compress air as the air flows through the compressor section. The air is then flowed from the compressor section to the combustor section, where it is mixed with fuel and combusted, generating a hot gas flow. The hot gas flow is provided to the turbine section, which utilizes the hot gas flow by extracting energy from it to power the compressor, an electrical generator, and other various loads.
In the combustor section of many typical turbine systems, each combustor includes a combustion liner. The combustion liner is a generally annular tube through which the combusted hot gas flows. A flow sleeve may generally surround the combustion liner. Cooling fluid may be allowed to flow between the flow sleeve and combustion liner to, for example, cool the combustion liner.
In many cases, it is desirable to retain the flow sleeve relative to the combustion liner. Retention of the flow sleeve allows cooling fluid to generally consistently flow between the flow sleeve and combustion liner by generally maintaining the spacing between the flow sleeve and combustion liner. One example of apparatus for retaining a flow sleeve is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,762,075 to Pangle et al., which discloses a combustion liner stop in a gas turbine. The stop includes a male component, a female component, and an insert. The insert is attached to the male component, such as by welds.
The liner stop of Pangle et al. is suitable for retaining flow sleeves relative to combustion liners. However, in the event of component wear, field replacement of the various components of these liner stops requires labor intensive activities, such as welding and/or grinding. Further, the inserts, such as the welds thereof, can detach, causing the inserts to separate from the male components during inspection. In these cases, the inserts must be replaced, which may require on-site welding. Such replacement procedures can thus be cumbersome, time consuming, and expensive.
Accordingly, an improved liner stop for a turbine system combustor is desired in the art. For example, a liner stop that suitably retains a flow sleeve with respect to a combustion liner, without requiring attachment of various components of the liner stop, such as inserts thereof, to each other would be advantageous.